Jonathan Levine Quotes

Powerful Jonathan Levine for Daily Growth

About Jonathan Levine

**Jonathan Levine**: A versatile filmmaker known for his unique blend of comedy, drama, and science fiction, Jonathan Levine was born on August 14, 1983, in Livingston, New Jersey. Growing up in a Jewish family, he developed an early interest in storytelling, often drawing inspiration from his experiences and the world around him. Levine pursued his passion for film at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. During his time there, he co-founded the production company 2929 Entertainment with collaborator Dana Consolidino. After graduating, he began working on various projects, including short films and commercials, honing his craft and building a reputation within the industry. Levine's breakthrough came with the release of his debut feature film, "The Wackness" in 2008. The coming-of-age comedy-drama, set against the backdrop of New York City during the summer of 1996, earned him critical acclaim and cemented his status as a rising talent. In 2011, Levine directed "50/50," a dramedy that starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick. The film was widely praised for its handling of serious subject matter with humor and empathy. Another significant work from Levine is the zombie romantic comedy "Warm Bodies" (2013), which showcased his knack for infusing fresh ideas into genre films. More recently, Levine directed the romantic comedy "Long Shot" (2019) and the science fiction film "Snowpiercer" series for TNT. Despite the diverse range of genres he works in, Levine's storytelling remains consistently grounded in character-driven narratives that resonate with audiences worldwide. His ability to tackle complex themes while maintaining a sense of humor sets him apart as an innovative and compelling filmmaker.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Love is like a fight. It's not about who's right, but who can hold on tighter."

This quote suggests that love, much like a struggle or disagreement, is not determined by who is right, but rather by who can maintain their emotional connection more resiliently. It implies that love requires effort, persistence, and a strong bond to withstand challenges, misunderstandings, and conflicts in a relationship. The focus should be on maintaining the relationship, rather than proving one's point or being right all the time.

"Sometimes it takes leaving everything behind to find the things you needed within you all along."

This quote suggests that in order to discover inner strengths, talents, or aspects of oneself, one may need to step out of their comfort zone and embark on a journey that involves significant change, such as moving away from familiar surroundings or habits. Leaving behind the known can provide opportunities for personal growth, self-discovery, and the realization that the answers to our questions and solutions to our challenges were within us all along. Essentially, this quote encourages people to take risks and embrace change as a means of discovering their true potential.

"Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth."

This quote by Jonathan Levine serves as a reminder that life's brevity should be met with joy, particularly during moments when we are able to express it openly, such as smiling. It encourages us to appreciate the present and make the most of our time on earth, as our ability to smile is a gift that may not last forever. The quote also implies the importance of staying positive and finding reasons to smile even in challenging circumstances.

"Everyone deserves a chance at love, even if that love has to be found in unexpected places."

This quote by Jonathan Levine suggests that everyone, regardless of their circumstances or background, deserves the opportunity to experience love. The phrase "unexpected places" implies that sometimes love may not come from where we typically seek it, but it's still just as valid and meaningful when we find it in these less conventional spots. It underscores the importance of open-mindedness and persistence in our search for love and connection with others.

"The hardest part of loving someone is letting them go."

This quote by Jonathan Levine highlights the emotional turmoil that arises when one must let go of a person they love. It's not just about the physical separation, but the deep pain and longing that comes from the loss of emotional connection. The struggle lies in accepting the change, dealing with the feelings of loss, and finding strength to move forward, while still cherishing the memories shared.

I'm always walking around with headphones on, creating my own soundtracks to whatever the day is. I think I have a poppy sensibility.

- Jonathan Levine

Think, Always, I Think, My Own

Zombies have always had a lot of built-in social commentary.

- Jonathan Levine

Always, Social, Lot, Commentary

I really like using genre to tell a story about characters but also use it as a Trojan horse to tell social or cultural commentary. That's where the best stuff, especially in the zombie genre, comes out of.

- Jonathan Levine

Like, Social, Using, Commentary

I feel like comedy is where I'm most at ease, but I also have an allergy to silly jokes.

- Jonathan Levine

Comedy, Ease, Like, Allergy

I don't like being pigeonholed at all. It stemmed from after 'Mandy Lane': I was being offered all these horror movies. I love horror movies, but when I dreamed of being a director, it was always doing all sorts of things.

- Jonathan Levine

Love, Movies, Doing, Stemmed

There are things that I can tell my friends that I just can't tell my family, just as far as how I'm feeling about things. My friends know me the best in a certain way. I just think old friends are really, really important.

- Jonathan Levine

Tell, Certain Way, About, As Far As

I grew up with Woody Allen and early Spike Lee movies in which New York was such a specific character. The city has a certain vibe and beat which really informs your entire existence.

- Jonathan Levine

City, Vibe, Allen, None

In rehearsals, I like to create an honest environment that is kinda free and fun.

- Jonathan Levine

Environment, Honest, Like, Rehearsals

I used to obsess on critical reactions to my films, and it's really not a healthy way to live your life, so my new take on it is simply, 'I hope people like it!' I'm not going to be looking at the tomato meter for at least a year! I was very lucky on '50/50' that most critics really liked it.

- Jonathan Levine

Lucky, Very, Obsess, Meter

For whatever reason, the films I gravitate towards do have these strange sort of tonal balances to them... I kind of realized on '50/ 50' why I liked these blending of tones, because I think it's kind of what life is like: funny one minute, sad the next, scary the next.

- Jonathan Levine

Reason, Next, I Think, Balances

On '50/50,' even though it was 8 million dollars, it was all acting-intensive.

- Jonathan Levine

Million, Though, Even, Million Dollars

I like to branch out as much as I can, but I feel like the movies that are closest to my heart are 'The Wackness' and '50/50' - the ones that are dramedies that have that human element to them.

- Jonathan Levine

Feel, Like, Them, Closest

I have a cameo in every movie. In '50/50,' I'm in the back of the bus.

- Jonathan Levine

Bus, Back, Movie, Cameo

I love Jamaica so much. I've been there so much, and I think it would be great if we could shoot a movie there.

- Jonathan Levine

Love, Think, Been, Jamaica

I really like it when movies take a song and use it to counterpoint a scene.

- Jonathan Levine

Song, Movies, Take, Counterpoint

Genre is a really great shorthand you can have with an audience. In the same way you can use music to create a connection with an audience, it brings so much of their knowledge of what genre really is to the table. You have a shortcut to connect with them. I really like that.

- Jonathan Levine

Audience, Like, Use, Shorthand

To me, using music is creating a shorthand with an audience. And I love music so much.

- Jonathan Levine

Love, Audience, Using, Shorthand

Any time I hear certain songs I put in a movie, I have to not listen to them anymore because I associate them with that movie. They take on that association rather than the association I had when I first heard them. So it's kinda bittersweet to put a song in a movie, honestly.

- Jonathan Levine

Movie, Association, Rather, Bittersweet

I kind of viewed '50/ 50' and 'Warm Bodies' both as my next films after 'The Wackness.' In my head, I was just like, 'I'll try the big, fun, adventure-weird movie, and I'll do the small, heartfelt comedy-drama, and one of them will probably work out, and I'll get to work more.'

- Jonathan Levine

Small, Big, Next, Heartfelt

I've had a couple of family members deal with cancer, and I remember that moment where they're going into surgery, and you just have no idea what's going to happen, and it's really scary.

- Jonathan Levine

I Remember, Deal, Couple, Family Members

'Warm Bodies' - I was contractually obligated to deliver a PG-13 movie. But, like, I wanted it to be PG-13 because it's for younger people, and I don't want them not to be able to see it. I mean, you have to kind of think about the marketplace as well.

- Jonathan Levine

Movie, About, Bodies, Younger People

I'm a writer and director. And the movie I've seen a million times is 'Coming Home,' directed by Hal Ashby and starring Jon Voight, Jane Fonda and Bruce Dern.

- Jonathan Levine

Director, Movie, Directed, Coming Home

I've been a huge fan of Hal Ashby forever. And I think that the distinctive thing about 'Coming Home' is the love story, and how - kind of emotionally real it is, and how these two characters allow each other to see their - kind of vulnerabilities. And it's great because it's a love story that's not really that cheesy, either.

- Jonathan Levine

Love, Been, Allow, Coming Home

The way 'Coming Home' uses music in general is incredible, but the final song that really kind of crescendos all of the emotion that the whole movie has kind of been building to is this song called 'Once I Was' by Tim Buckley.

- Jonathan Levine

Movie, Been, Whole, Coming Home

Right after 'The Wackness' came out, it was a really exciting time, and then it was a bit disappointing when it came out. Even though not that many people saw it, I was still getting offered some movies. I was thinking that people would just stop calling me since it didn't do very well at the box office.

- Jonathan Levine

Some, Very, Exciting Time, Disappointing

I really don't like when you see improv scenes go on too long. It really bothers me, even if the jokes are good.

- Jonathan Levine

Go, Like, Bothers, Jokes

I think Giuliani started a trend that Bloomberg continued with rampant gentrification, and I think it's tough because why would any city choose not to do that?

- Jonathan Levine

Think, Trend, I Think, Rampant

I learned some big lessons on my first film, a horror film which was never released in the U.S., even though we sold it to Harvey Weinstein for a lot of money.

- Jonathan Levine

Big, Some, Which, Harvey

There's so often - in filmmaking, you're backed into something that already has these set parameters, whether it's a sequel or a book that people love.

- Jonathan Levine

Love, Set, Backed, Parameters

I definitely think for up and coming filmmakers, people graduating from film school, people that want to do their own movies, horror movies are a great way to go.

- Jonathan Levine

Think, Horror, Film School, Graduating

I was Paul Schrader's assistant for six months before I went to film school, and he's very much about knowing what's going to happen on every page before you even start writing dialogue - the entire plot and character arcs are mapped out.

- Jonathan Levine

Before, Very, Film School, Mapped

If you know how to shoot a scene, then you know how to shoot an action scene. If you've seen an action movie, and you watched it, and you paid attention to how scenes are constructed and where the camera is and how the camera moves, then you know how to do it.

- Jonathan Levine

Movie, Constructed, Then, Camera

I think that's the great thing about zombies, is, you know, going back to even 'Night of the Living Dead,' they've always been a tool for kind of holding up a mirror to us and showing us something about ourselves that we might not otherwise know.

- Jonathan Levine

Mirror, Been, I Think, Tool

I think I'm always conscious of not letting things fit into a specific box. Being a filmmaker and trying to chart a career, you never want anyone to be able to pigeonhole you into one specific thing.

- Jonathan Levine

Career, Box, I Think, Pigeonhole

As I continue to evolve as a filmmaker, I'm going to continue to do different stuff.

- Jonathan Levine

Evolve, Continue, Going, Filmmaker

I think it's cyclical. Zombies have been around for ages, and vampires have run their course; we've had so many vampire movies.

- Jonathan Levine

Think, Been, I Think, Vampire

After 'Mandy Lane,' I didn't really know what to do because I didn't know anyone who'd made a feature yet.

- Jonathan Levine

Made, Really, Feature, Lane

I love subverting expectations or playing with the sort of unspoken kind of connections that the audience has.

- Jonathan Levine

Love, Audience, I Love, Connections

I like a pretty relaxed, fun set. Everyone knows they can bring whoever they want and hang out.

- Jonathan Levine

Pretty, Hang, Set, Relaxed

My first real television-watching experience was when I watched 'L.A. Law,' like, at 10 o'clock Thursday nights with my parents. They would let me stay up late.

- Jonathan Levine

Thursday, Law, Like, Nights

Usually, the kills are almost Wile E. Coyote kind of things in horror movies.

- Jonathan Levine

Movies, Horror, Almost, Coyote

I was actually shooting 'Warm Bodies' on the day that '50/50' came out, which I don't recommend to other filmmakers because I was sort of a wreck. Actually, it was good for me, because I had work to do, so I couldn't obsess all day and be checking how '50/50' was doing!

- Jonathan Levine

Other, Checking, Obsess, Filmmakers

'Purple Rain' is probably the best soundtrack.

- Jonathan Levine

Rain, Best, Soundtrack, Purple

'Warm Bodies' was a more long-term thing; I had to write the script, who knew if it was every really going to happen, if I'd find the right actors, and so on, so I grabbed '50/50' because I just fell in love with it.

- Jonathan Levine

Love, Had, Bodies, Long-Term

I watched 'Return Of The Living Dead.' That one's cool, man. I like that one.

- Jonathan Levine

Living, Like, Watched, Return

For me, I just value my friendships so much. I mean, I love my family, too, but my friends - I have a really special connection with my friends.

- Jonathan Levine

Love, Friends, Friendships, Connection

It's rare that movies can sort of capture the tone of life; movies always feel like they have to be one thing or another.

- Jonathan Levine

Tone, Always, Like, Capture

I used to drive a convertible around L.A. a lot.

- Jonathan Levine

Drive, Used, Lot, Convertible

That's the great thing about being a director. You have your list of things you have to worry about and things you don't have to worry about. If you can hire someone or cast someone who equates to not having to worry about, it's great!

- Jonathan Levine

Worry, Hire, Having, Great Thing

I like zombie movies, and I like genre movies a lot. To watch. Less so to make, I think. But I grew up on that stuff. I would just grow up watching a lot of horror movies, a lot of slasher movies and then zombie movies.

- Jonathan Levine

Grow, Think, I Think, Genre

To be a director, you have to think you're the best. Ever since I went to film school, I imagined that you have to think deep down that you want to be Martin Scorsese or you want to be P.T. Anderson. Like, am I as good as those guys? Absolutely not. I feel like I keep learning, and I feel like I keep getting better.

- Jonathan Levine

Deep, Scorsese, Film School, Absolutely Not

I definitely think New York is a very, very vibrant, wonderful city, but I certainly, of course, can't help but miss a lot of the stuff that's no longer there.

- Jonathan Levine

Think, New, Very, Miss

For me, the best high school movie is, like, 'Fast Times' and what Cameron Crowe is like.

- Jonathan Levine

Fast, High, Times, Cameron

I really hope everyone who saw 'Twilight' sees 'Warm Bodies,' but at the same time... I don't resent the comparison on a level of quality because I don't judge other movies like that. Now that I make movies, I see how hard it is to do everything. I pretty much love all movies.

- Jonathan Levine

Love, Other, Bodies, Resent

I just think a lot of movies are too long. I want to know how to make my movie as tight as possible.

- Jonathan Levine

Think, Want, Movie, Tight

I have about 100 gigs of music, and I'm always going through thinking about what song I can match to a scene and all that.

- Jonathan Levine

Song, Through, Always, Gigs

Do I wish I was Martin Scorsese? Yeah. But am I really proud of the movies I've made and really happy that I get to keep making them? Yes.

- Jonathan Levine

I Wish, Making, Scorsese, Martin

As a director, there's no natural career progression. So after 'The Wackness,' which was very personal to me, I was very, very picky about what I was going to do next, to the point where I think that I was almost too picky.

- Jonathan Levine

Next, Very, Which, Picky

I was intimidated by Malkovich for, like, a couple of days, and then I wasn't. He's awesome. He's so cool. He was so wonderful to work with.

- Jonathan Levine

Work, Like, Couple, Awesome

I always look at myself as kind of a work in progress. I hope that's not always the case. But for me, every film is a learning experience.

- Jonathan Levine

Work, Kind, Always, Learning Experience

For me, it's always more interesting to look at things when you don't really have a horse in the race, so to speak.

- Jonathan Levine

Race, More, Always, Horse

I have a lot of friends with bad taste in music - some might say that I have bad taste in music.

- Jonathan Levine

Music, Some, Lot, Bad Taste

As a director, your expectation and reality don't always match up, and I think that that's... I think it's a little jarring.

- Jonathan Levine

Think, Always, I Think, Match

I don't often watch something I've done on TV. Usually, I'll change the channel and watch something else.

- Jonathan Levine

Change, TV, Something Else, Channel

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